


Run Quiet

by bluntblade



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Scenes from an alternate Episode IX, Slice of Life, Stealth Mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:19:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22100095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluntblade/pseuds/bluntblade
Summary: Poe and Finn wrestle a little with the new status quo for their missions post-Crait during a recruit-and-resupply run. This has now been worked into my alternate Episode IX.
Kudos: 3





	Run Quiet

Slow and quiet was a new thing for Poe Dameron. But then again, so was a Galaxy without a Republic and the First Order bent on outright subjugation. The odds were stacked against them as never before. So, after Crait and all Poe’s hard lessons, the Resistance was having to play the discretion game.

They were slipping through an asteroid ring, two X-Wings and one transport - the  _ Spark _ , some wise guy had named the latter. They’d come out of hyperspace a long way out and had been running slowly in, minimal lights. Ahead, some way beyond the asteroid, Katoruz station. 

“Ship runs quiet,” Finn observed. He was less fidgety than Poe; something of the old Stormtrooper was still there, and he could just go still for hours on end. The handful of soldiers with them were busy with dice or just kicking their heels. “Cloaking device is tighter than almost anything I’ve seen.”

“Good,” said Rose, over by the console. “Those shipwrights didn’t shortchange us - they promised a stealthy transport with plenty of space. On that note, Poe -” she beckoned him over. “Triple-check, we’ve got five coming on board. Three soldiers, one medic… one cracker?”

Poe saw Finn’s cheek twitch and raises a hand to forestall him. “They’ve got credentials, bud. Cracker’s a Twi’lek kid, nephew of an old Alliance trooper.”

Finn relaxes just a little. “Guess that’s good. Reliable crackers are like gold dust.”

“We didn’t exactly vet  _ that _ bastard at Canto,” Rose pointed out as a chime sounded. “Sounds like you’re up, Poe.”

“On it.” Poe stepped into the cockpit, patting C'ai on the shoulder and hit the radio. “Snap, Jess, you know what comes next - limpet drill. Park and get comfy, but stay awake.”

The two fighters peeled off and attached themselves to asteroids. The  _ Spark _ flew into the open void, towards a slab-sided space station. 

This was Katoruz - the kind of place which, Rose would say, the Galaxy only noticed when they wanted to take from it. It was a stopover base, where raw materials were collected together from a few nearby systems. Metals and minerals were accumulated to make them worth exporting, and hauled away by freighter.

While it lay well outside the Republic’s territory, Katoruz had always been good to the Resistance, perhaps because the Resistance had been good to them too. Now, however, the First Order’s shadow had fallen across the sector. This mission was as much rescue mission as recruitment and resupply. 

C’ai grumbled. “I’ll never like doing this, Poe.” BB-8 scuttled in, warbling, and C’ai turned a little in his seat to regard the droid. “You’re not wrong, little friend, but that doesn’t make me hate it any less.”

“Well, I appreciate the optimism buddy.” Poe took the seat next to C’ai, absent-mindedly patting BB-8 and eliciting a contented chirp. “These ops will pay off if we do enough of them. You’ve seen the numbers too.”

“Uh huh.  _ Sparky _ says ten minutes, Poe. Wanna arm up?”

“We’re not impugning this good ship with that nickname, C’ai. Not so long as she keeps us alive.”

Poe returned to the hold to find the soldiers nearly ready and Finn already tooled up, and frowned at the shock maul in his friend’s left hand. “Finn, are you sure you’ve got room to swing that if we’ve got unwelcome guests?”

Finn smiled back, pointing at the portal opposite him. “Nah, but you can get a good jab in.”

Rose nudged him. “Still best to keep it out of sight. It’s the last thing a rebel wants to see.”

“And this is why I always bring someone sensible along,” Poe added. “Now, boys and girls, look welcoming but be ready to repel boarders just in case.”

The  _ Spark _ slipped into a minor hangar. No radio contact, nothing that could be easily intercepted or recorded. Just a prearranged time and place, and one mundane docking chute.

Despite his own words, Poe tensed up when the ship came to a halt. There was a clang and a whir as the access chute locked to the ship. Then the portal opened, revealing four humans and one skinny Twi’lek.

Poe stepped forward. “We are the spark…”

“...that will light the fire,” replied the only woman in the group. “Honoured to meet you, Commander Dameron.” She was clearly the leader of the group, with short grey hair. “We’re ready to do our bit.”

A big man stepped forward, a crate in his arms. “And we come bearing gifts. Mostly mundane spare parts, but we’ve got some blast cartridges here for you too.”

“Much appreciated,” Poe snuck a look - and true enough, there were the cartridges. “OK guys, let’s get this gear on quickly. You give come aboard and get comfy.”

Ten minutes saw the crates loaded. “Ooh, that’s the day’s workout,” Poe groaned as he grabbed his last crate.

“You’ve gotta get tougher than that, Poe,” Finn said. “This is what happens if your job puts you on your ass all day. But  _ please _ , bend the knees, not your back. Ain’t about brute strength.”

“Speaking of brute strength - the big guy, says he was a miner. Reckon he’d make a Scrapper?”

Finn shrugged. “Put him in a practice space when we get back to fleet and then we’ll see. Rey doesn’t just want bruisers in her squad.”

“If they were all bruisers, she wouldn’t really fit in herself,” Poe mused.

“Well  _ that _ just says you’ve never had her come at you.”

Rose poked her head around the door. “If you boys are ready to go? Everything else is stowed.” 

Poe and Finn hurried aboard, and even as they were tying the crates down, the  _ Spark _ detached and flew back into the darkness.

Poe sat back, listening to the stories being traded between his people and the newcomers. He was happy to keep his own counsel these days, and only spoke to ask questions. That was Leia’s advice, and it seemed to be working so far. 

“Definitely a quiet ride,” Finn said. 

“Don’t speak too -” Rose started, until a claxon started blaring. Finn had the decency to look chastened as well as alarmed.

“Proximity alert!” C’ai shouted. “Going dark!”

True enough, the ship had gone to emergency lighting even before Poe reached the cockpit. “Now we really get to test that cloaking field.” He scanned the sensor readings. “Where’s it coming from, where’s it coming from?”

As it was, it came out of hyperspace nearly on top of them. The next second, Poe and C’ai were staring up at an expanse of cold grey metal. 

“Star Destroyer?” Finn asked, entering the cockpit.

“Resurgence-class,” C’ai growled. “Poe?”

Poe forced himself to breathe slowly, watching a quartet of TIE fighters circle the huge ship. “Like we discussed, we keep quiet and coast.” He saw the look on Finn’s face and held up a hand before he could say anything. “Listen pal, this is about more than us here, and Jess and Snap. We escape -  _ if  _ we escape - the First Order guts that station or blows it to bits. With Ren at the top, they’re only getting more vengeful.” He sighed. “And that’s a fast track to us losing the Galaxy’s faith all over again. So, we wait.”

But that was easier to say than do. Not since Crait had he felt so tested, and this felt like having his toenails pulled out. It took a full twenty minutes for the pass the Star Destroyer and for its bulk to leave their view. It took another for the  _ Spark _ to get clear of sensor range, Finn pacing the entire time.

Gradually, Poe brought the engines to moderate burn, and they slunk towards the asteroid belt. 

He keyed the radio. “Snap and Jess, you guys still awake? Good. We have some new friends, let’s get out of here.” He turned to C’ai. “Take some time out, pal. You’ve earned a rest, I’ve got it from here.”

One more successful mission. One step closer to being able to fight back in earnest. One more test passed.

_ Still learning, _ Poe thought.  _ But I’m making good on the lessons. _

**Author's Note:**

> I found it a bit odd and irksome that we didn't get a real sense of Crait having changed things from the Resistance, except for reducing their numbers. This would probably be the first scene scene in my headcanon Episode IX, just to set the stage.


End file.
